Bubby Had a Seizure.

It was a totally normal day. My sister and brother-in-law were at work. Mamaw was visiting. The house had its usual rotation: Sis doing her thing with Mamaw, me on Bubs duty.

Bubs was extra clingy and sleepy that day. Not dramatic, just… off. He was still technically an infant, so I chalked it up to teething, growing, or something simple. We rocked in the chair, read books, and sang. As he was prepped and ready for a nap, I put him in the crib.

Instant meltdown. That wasn’t him. He usually loves naps. Since Mamaw had Sis covered, I said screw it, picked him back up, and decided to just rock him and rest together.

After about twenty minutes he looked up at me with this weird, wrong, not-his-usual expression. Something off in his eyes. Before my brain could even name the feeling, his eyes rolled back and he started convulsing in my arms. Instinct kicked in. No thinking, just moving.

While holding him, I ran to Mamaw and told her what was happening. She called 911 immediately. I figured maybe he was hot, so while I held him, I somehow got him down to his onesie. I carried him downstairs, sat on the floor to be closer when help arrived, and kept him on his side… that’s what I’d seen done on Grey’s Anatomy.

I looked at the clock. 3:08 PM. No clue why that stuck, but it did. He was still seizing. I kept talking to him the whole time: “Teetee’s here. I’ve got you.” I never stopped holding him.

The EMTs came in, started asking questions, and I answered everything while still propping him on his side. His dad came home right in the middle of it all, and as if on cue, Bubs finally came to. He looked at his dad and cried “DADA”- this heartbreaking little sound like he was tattling on the universe for what just happened.

I told Dada, “Call Mama,” because he wasn’t thinking straight yet. Then he and Bubs left with the EMTs for the hospital. I stayed back with Sis. Thankfully she had been asleep for the entire thing and didn’t witness any of it.

Later we found out he had spiked a fever out of nowhere. One of those sudden, fast fevers that hits infants hard. That’s what made him clingy all day. He didn’t feel good. The fever rose so quickly his little body couldn’t handle it, which caused the seizure. Apparently it’s super common.

But that was the reality of the day: normal morning, weird clinginess, fever spike, sudden seizure, full emergency response, hospital trip.

He is fine now but it was the scariest day of my life.